The selection of the United Nations Secretary-General is often popularly described as a “leadership transition.” At the United Nations, the selection process is referred to officially as a “nomination.” These terms camouflage a deeper reality: the enormous distance between procedural openness and genuine political access within the UN system. The UN Secretary-General is the top officer of the UN Secretariat, with the responsibility to oversee the United Nations and to manage the $3.5 billion